Mohalla clinic staffers approach Delhi HC for relief
In their petition, the staffers have urged the court to restrain what they described as the 'arbitrary removal' of existing employees and to ensure timely and consistent salary disbursement. According to the petition, salaries have been delayed for several months, leaving many workers in financial distress and mental anguish.
The high court petition comes just days ahead of a related filing before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on August 3, indicating growing unrest within the AAMC workforce over lack of job security and administrative transparency.
Anish Kumar, a former pharmacist with Mohalla Clinics and a representative of the Healthcare Workers Charitable Trust -- an advocacy group for government healthcare employees -- said that many staff members have effectively been pushed into forced unemployment.
'Several staff have received 'detailment transfers,' meaning they've been officially transferred but haven't been assigned a new posting. It's a systematic way to sideline people without formally terminating them,' Kumar explained.
He added that a large number of employees have been serving at AAMCs for over six years and are now ineligible for other government jobs due to age restrictions. 'They're simply asking for clarity and job security. Living in this uncertainty has become unsustainable,' he said.
The petition is expected to be heard by the Delhi High Court in the coming days.
The issue comes in the wake of the Delhi government's recent decision to phase out Mohalla Clinics in areas where Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are being operationalised. According to minutes from a recent government meeting, Mohalla Clinics -- launched by the AAP government in October 2015 -- will be withdrawn from such areas due to duplication of services with the BJP government's health initiative Arogya Mandirs, which also offer primary healthcare.
HT reached out to the minister, but did not receive a response until the time of going to print.
As of August 2023, 533 Mohalla Clinics were operational in Delhi. However, at least seven have already been converted into Arogya Mandirs under the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Following a protest on May 17 by AAMC staff, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta had assured that existing paramedical and support staff would be adjusted within Arogya Mandirs.
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